In a 22-day period during September and October, more than 65,000 people commercially raft the Gauley River. Noncommercial users - kayakers, canoeists, and private rafters - exceed 25,000 per year during the same time period. West Virginia is within 500 miles of more than half of the population of the United States, and thus it is the ideal site to host a world-class, high-profile whitewater competition.

The ANIMAL Upper Gauley Race has become one of the premier Extreme Events in the country; a downriver sprint on a legendary section of river. Now in it's 21st year, this race has grown in notoriety and participation.

The racers finish at the squirly base of a Class V, a 10 foot drop known as Sweet's Falls. The locals say it's a one-move pony where you find the tongue and stay upright through the curler, (easier said than done my friends.) There's always plenty of carnage, and lots of raft gawkers on the rocks around the drop, just waiting for some excitement. Come and Celebrate the Gauley with us!